Pope: Confession offers ‘unique moment of grace and God’s forgiveness’

By Devin Watkins

“May this year of preparation for the Jubilee see the mercy of the Father flourish in many hearts and places, and thus may God be ever more loved, recognized and praised. »

Pope Francis expressed this hope Friday during his meeting with seminarians participating in a course on the internal forum organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The annual course aims to guide priests and future priests studying in Rome in the art of administering the sacrament of reconciliation.

Experiencing the “sweetness” of God’s love

In his prepared speech, the Pope told participants that their task is to help people who come to confession experience “the sweetness of God’s love.”

“I encourage you,” he said, “to live each confession as a unique and irreplaceable moment of grace and to generously give the Lord's forgiveness, with affability, paternity and, I dare say, even with maternal tenderness “.

Pope Francis focused his reflection on three elements of the Act of Contrition, which penitents recite during confession before receiving absolution.

Repent of our sins, not condemn ourselves out of guilt

The pope spoke for the first time about “repentance,” saying it differs greatly from the psychological feeling of guilt.

Repentance, he said, arises “entirely from the awareness of our misery in the face of God’s infinite love and unlimited mercy.”

Christian repentance is not self-destructive but rather filled with trust in God's forgiveness and fatherhood.

“The feeling of sin is directly proportional to the perception of God's infinite love,” he said. “The more we feel His tenderness, the more we desire to be in full communion with Him, and the more evident the ugliness of evil in our lives becomes. »

Trust in the goodness of God

Pope Francis then turned to the aspect of “trust,” since the Act of Contrition describes God as “all good and worthy of all my love.”

He noted that loving God above all else means putting God at the center of our lives and entrusting everything to Him.

“This primacy,” he says, “animates all other love: for men and for creation, because he who loves God loves his brother and always seeks his good in justice and peace.”

Decide to never sin again, with God's help

The Pope finally spoke of “resolution”, which is the desire of the penitent not to fall back into the sin committed.

This firm will, he says, allows the Christian to move “from attrition to contrition, from imperfect sadness to perfect sadness.”

The words – “I firmly decide, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the next opportunity to sin” – express a resolution and not a promise, the Pope said.

“None of us can promise God never to sin again,” he added, “and what is required to receive forgiveness is not a guarantee of impeccability, but a present intention, made with the good intention at the time of confession”.

Our commitment to never sin again, the Pope said, is accompanied by our request for help from God, without whom “no conversion would be possible.”

God shines in his mercy

Mercy, Pope Francis concluded, concludes the Act of Contrition and expresses an important divine trait.

“Lord, mercy, forgive me,” are the last words of the prayer, he said. “God is mercy; mercy is His name, His face. It is good that we always remember this: in every act of mercy, in every act of love, the face of God shines.